Fastmarkets analysts Muthu Krishna and Phoebe O’Hara look at the potential of solid-state and sodium-ion batteries to scale up and ease the pressure on lithium-ion NMC and LFP battery chemistries, which currently dominate the EV and ESS markets.
Utility Xcel Energy has received a US$20 million grant commitment from VC firm Breakthrough Energy for projects using Form Energy’s iron-air battery, while a sodium ion battery firm has secured bridge financing.
US Senator Joe Manchin and fellow bipartisan colleagues have urged the Biden Administration to invest more in non-lithium energy storage technologies, while DOE Loan Programs Office head Jigar Shah expects companies developing the latter to broadly secure 1GWh orders this year.
ASX-listed Altech Chemicals and research institute Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft have progressed plans for a 100MWh plant in Germany to produce the latter’s energy storage-focused sodium solid state battery technology.
Manufacturing firm Arxada has started producing Prussian blue materials for Natron sodium-ion battery production while US-based Mitra Chem has hired EPC firm Bechtel to design its LFP cathode facility.
The US energy storage market’s rapid growth is going to lead to scrambles for available battery supply, leading many to consider alternative technologies to lithium-ion.
